BET Honors 2008
Held January 12, 2008 at the historic Warner Theater in Washington, DC, the first annual BET Honors brought out the elite to see honorees Alicia Keys, Tyra Banks, entrepreneur Janice Bryant Howroyd, executive Richard Parsons, Dr. Cornel West and the Hon. Maxine Waters get their just due. Host: Cedric the Entertainer Honourees: Alicia Keys (Entertainment Award) Tyra Banks (Media Award) Dr. Cornel West, University Professor in the Center for African American Studies (Award for Education) Richard Parsons (Corporate Citizen Award) The Honorable Maxine Waters (Public Service Award) CEO Janice Bryant Howroyd (Entrepreneur Award) Performers and Presenters: Stevie Wonder John Legend Gladys Knight Wyclef Jean Jill Scott Brian McKnight Ne-Yo Raheem DeVaughn Blair Underwood Danny Glover Kerry Washington Idris Elba Hill Harper Vivica A. Fox Here's a recap of the star-studded evening. Most Enthusiastic Honoree: Janice Bryant Howroyd, whose company Act 1 Group is the nation's largest staffing agency, gave an rousing thank-you speech that included a shout out to her husband of 25 (!) years. Best Dressed Woman: Alicia Keys in Reem Acra's bold pink dress with jeweled collar. Gorgeous. Best Dressed Men: In a virtual three-way tie are classic looks from presenters Idris Elba and Hill Harper and performer John Legend. Best Performance: Wyclef Jean's version of the Carl Carlton classic "She's a Bad Mama Jama" in tribute to honoree Tyra Banks. Best Bling: Once again we are in awe of CEO Debra Lee's jewelry collection. She wore a diamond necklace and cuff to Honors that were amazing. Best Speech: Alicia Keys, who thanked everyone who works with her in her gracious acceptance speech and also made note that awards should be given out more for those who do everyday things. Best Red Carpet Couple: Jill Scott and "Why Did I Get Married" co-star Lamman Rucker strode the red carpet together as he was her date for the evening. Has life imitated art? The now-single Scott says she's "taking applications." Most Relevant Speech: Honoree Rep. Maxine Waters encouraged attendees to use their voting power to elect the next resident of the White House. Next Hosting Franchise: After seeing how Cedric The Entertainer smoothly handled hosting duties for BET Honors, we think we've seen the next host put his stamp on a BET show. Like his one-time co-star and fellow comedian Steve Harvey, it appears Ceddy has a BET special to call his own from now on. Separated at Birth?: BET COO Scott Mills and DC Mayor Adrian Fenty. We swear those two have to at least be cousins or something. Best Surprise Performance: Ne-Yo, who performed "Lady In My Life" for BET Honors attendees and did a fantastic job. Best Surprise Performance 2: DC's own Raheem DeVaughn, who performed a superb rendition of "Lift Every Voice And Sing" - otherwise known as the Black National Anthem. Best Dressed Hosts: "The Black Carpet's" Toure and Danella. Best Living Legends: Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder, who paid tribute to honorees Maxine Waters and Alicia Keys respectively, are proof positive that our black music legends are still going strong, though the both of them have been making music for over five decades!